Untitled, My Jarl
by Orchestral Sonata
Summary: Adventures in Skyrim through the eyes of a young woman named Seraphine OC . Rated M just in case for language and blood and gore, possibly lemon if I feel like it.
1. No One Escapes The Cidna Mine

It was musty; the air was stuffy like Seraphine was breathing dirt. She coughed and sat up on her bed of hay. Distantly, she could hear the clanking of metal on the earthen walls. Suddenly, a pickaxe was dropped onto the dirt beside her.

Someone spoke gruffly, "Get to work." A banged-up, wooden platter was dropped, like the pickaxe, onto the ground and its contents, stale bread and a bruised apple, spilled out of it. Seraphine reached for the bread and once again found it too stale to eat. The apple was in slightly better condition, so she cut away the rotten parts with her shiv and commenced to eat it. Though it was a meager meal, she was happy to have something substantial in her stomach. Getting to her feet, she concealed her shiv in her worn belt and put on the rags she used as foot wraps. There was a bucket of murky water beside her "bed" that she used sparingly. She took a careful sip of it and left the alcove that would be her cell, if there _were_ any cells in the mine.

The Cidna Mine was Markarth's prison and it was possibly the worst prison you could ever be thrown in. The guards came in once a week to ration small amounts of food to the prisoners and take out any dead bodies. Sometimes it was a game to them. They would pick one prisoner and torture him to the point of death where the victim wished he were dead, but was instead left bloody and beaten by the laughing guards. This happened every time the so-called guards came to visit the mine. The prisoners were only let free, if at all, when they had dug enough of the silver ore. If one didn't fill their quota, a variety of tortures could be put on them, such as food deprivation or even execution, slow and painfully. It was no small-wonder Seraphine's world came crashing down when she was sentenced for life in Hell's mine.

Yet, Seraphine wouldn't break. She remained peaceful in the prison. She mined constantly and kept her distance from the other prisoners. She acted thankful to the guards when they supplied her with food, but all the while she was plotting her escape.

Seraphine picked up her tool from the floor and walked through the rocky tunnels until she came into a great opening where a campfire was kindled and a few prisoners were laying about it, trying to keep warm in the damp caves. A couple of men spotted her and sneered wide, toothy grins at her.

"Hey, baby. If you do me a little favor, I can share some rations with you." one of them offered with a smirk.

"No thanks. I'm not interested in any of your favors."

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be such a tease." The other said. They both got up and started moving in on her. Seraphine immediately pulled out her shivs, one in each hand, and held them ready. The two immediately stopped moving at her and glared. "Dumb bitch" he spat at her.

Seraphine rolled her eyes and put away the shivs. "Yeah. Sure." From the corner of her eye, she saw yet another man approaching her from the side. She whipped around to face him and yelled, "Can a girl not get any peace around here? Back off, you pervert!"

The man jumped and took a step back. "No," he said "I wasn't gonna do…that…or anything. I- er…just wanted to talk."

She studied him for a minute before answering. He was a fairly lanky man, with awkward posture, though his arms seemed strong. He had a thin face and unruly, brown hair that may have used to be cut short, but was now grown out along with his scruffy facial hair. She threw one more glaring look at the two other men who slinked away, then turned to the man. "Your name?"

He hesitated, but spoke in a shaky voice, "I'm Marcurio. I'm from Riften."

"Riften? That's a pretty long way from here. Why were you in Markarth? What did you do to be sent to this place?"

He shook his head. "I know, it is a long way, but I don't wanna talk here. If the prisoners heard my…er…proposal, they might rat us out. I'll explain later. Can you meet me in the west tunnels?"

Seraphine looked confused. "The west tunnels?" she asked, "But aren't those unstable?"

Marcurio nodded, "Yes, but since they're dangerous, no one bothers back there, which is where I take sanctum in. My little "home" isn't too far in to the tunnels, can you make it?"

She thought then agreed, "Yeah. I'll meet you back there later, after I've mined some ore. The guards will be checking progress today, so make sure you dig some, too." Seraphine turned towards the northern tunnels from the campfire and walked off with her pickaxe swinging by her hip. There was no way to tell the time in the cave, so she dug until she thought she had found a sufficient amount of silver ore. She was turning to leave when she noticed a guard leaned against the wall, seemingly watching her. She stood there for a moment then walked cautiously past him. "Excuse me, I was just leaving. To turn in the ore to the…guards. At the…jail doors." she tried to say, but her voice faded the more she spoke. His gaze was still set on her and she was only a few steps from him now. The other miners had all stopped their work to also survey the situation. The guard hoisted himself from the wall and slowly took a step towards Seraphine. She retaliated by taking a step back, but this only caused him to take another step forward. This repeated itself until Seraphine's back pressed against the wall. She was sweating now. The guard continued to remain quiet and approached her still yet. She searched for words, any sort of sentence that would suffice to scare him off, but she was speechless; words lost. She wasn't used to this gaze. She was used to the lusty watching the men gave her, but this man wasn't interested in her like that, which terrified her even more. She was still fighting to speak when the guard suddenly wheeled around to face the prisoners who still stood watching.

"Get the hell out! Find another tunnel, clear out!" he barked. The prisoners all jumped and ran out, as to not anger the man. Seraphine whimpered slightly and pressed herself against the wall to put as much distance between them as she could. They were alone now and the man turned to look at her yet again.


	2. Stories

"Get the hell out! Find another tunnel, clear out!" he barked. The prisoners all jumped and ran out, as to not anger the man. Seraphine whimpered slightly and pressed herself against the wall to put as much distance between them as she could. They were alone now and the man turned to look at her yet again.

"I heard you and that man talking. Trying to escape, eh?"

Seraphine's stomach turned and her pulse quickened. _"No, no! It's too soon for us to have been caught! Divines, please help me!"_

"I know you're innocent. That Marcurio, too. Listen, I can help you guys, but I'm not going to do anything that'll get my ass sent to the chopping block, got it?" he said, looking around cautiously.

Seraphine's eyes widened. "Help us? But you're a guard. Why would you— "

The man shook his head and said, "I know you're suspicious and you have every right to be, but I'll explain when you go to meet Marcurio. The west tunnels, right? That's an odd place to meet."

"I know it is, but I'll take that risk if it means getting out of here. Will you help us?"

The guard crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you," he said with a strong Nordic accent, "I'm not doing anything that'll get me killed, but I might be able to help, depending on your circumstances. I've looked at the scarce paperwork we have for the prisoners and yours' doesn't match up with the city records. We'll go meet the guy and I'll decide after hearing your stories."

Seraphine nodded in agreement and followed the guard through the damp silver mine. They walked silently until Seraphine spoke, "Can I ask your name?"

He threw a glance behind him to her and replied. "It's Etory."

Seraphine awkwardly answered, as she's not used to formalities, with, "Well, uh…good to meet you, then." He only laughed a low, smooth chuckle.

Etory and Seraphine continued the walk for a brief period, before they stopped at the opening of the west tunnels. They exchanged glances and entered. In some parts, they had to turn sideways to walk through narrow openings where the tunnel had collapsed, but they finally found Marcurio waiting with a torch in hand. He nodded at them and placed the torch carefully on the ground next to him after sitting on the stone floor. They joined him on the floor and the three looked at each other suspiciously. Seraphine broke the silence as she did with Etory. Voice low, she said, "Unless you want to start, Marcurio, I'll explain myself first." She glanced around and continued, "I was framed. When I first came to Markarth, I was there for the murder of that Margaret girl. The man who killed her cried out "The Forsworn are here!" before he was shot down by city archers. A man who had also witnessed the murders came to me in private when I was making my way to the Silver-Blood Inn. He asked if I had dropped a letter, when I hadn't, and handed me a note, then ran off. The note read I was to meet him at the Shrine of Talos. I met him and he talked to me about The Forsworn Conspiracy. It basically suggested that Forsworn are here in the city, but the Jarl has been refusing to believe it and hasn't done anything about it. So I looked into it for him. My researches led me to a man named Nepo who had dealings with the Forsworn leader who is here in the mine, locked up in private. I was close to having the proof that I would show to the Jarl when the guards arrested me for recent murders. I tried to deny, but they wouldn't listen. I know it was the Forsworn leader who framed me. He still has communications with other Forsworn and sent them to frame me because I was a threat to them. I know it." she finished angrily.

Marcurio shook his head and Etory looked on with disbelief. "I knew this city was corrupt with those Forsworn, declaring they have rights to the land, but I didn't think it was this bad. Framed for murder. That's not right. On any grounds."

"I know. It's bad. But we still have Marcurio's story to hear out. Marcurio?"

Marcurio spoke in a low voice, "I was happily married to an Imperial woman for about 2 years. We traveled together across Skyrim, though our home was in Riften. Our travels brought us to Markarth where we stayed in the Silver-Blood Inn. It was late and I had gotten up to buy more wood for the fireplace in our room. As I was walking, a woman named Muiri came up to me and fell into my arms, sobbing. I asked her what was wrong, and she looked up at me, going on about how cruel her husband is. I had no idea what was going on, but the next thing I knew she was pulling me into her room. I knew this was bad, but I couldn't leave. She said she would send the Dark Brotherhood after me if I resisted. So I was seduced by a wretched and lonely woman—no, not a woman, a spider. My wife found out from one of her friends who works in the Silver-Blood Inn, and she was so angry she attacked me. She was clawing at me and had gotten a knife when I hit her to knock her away. She…I didn't mean to, but….I….." Marcurio stopped to regain himself, and then continued shakily, "She fell back onto some glass that had been broken in the struggle and…she…was dead. I was brought in for murder. But it wasn't my fault! You have to believe me…I never meant…" He stopped as Seraphine laid her hand on his shoulder.

Etory took a moment then began, "Give me a night or two to think, but I will get you guys out of here. I will make sure of it."


	3. Jailbreak!

Seraphine woke and realized: This is it. She stood up wearily and stumbled to the bucket of water, looking at her reflection. She rubbed away some of the dirt, but then shrugged and dumped the rest of the water onto herself, not even bothering to save any as she usually did. Today, she would have rivers of clear water. She stretched and wrung out her black hair, running her fingers through it. The other prisoners watched her wearily as she walked by, and she almost felt remorse for them, but then she remembered all the harassment she received from the males on a daily basis. With a snarl she walked faster away from them and entered the west tunnels.

Marcurio greeted her anxiously upon her entrance to his small alcove. "I prayed to the divines nearly all of last night that this will work."

"It will." Seraphine reassured him simply. He nodded and sat back down, breathing heavily from nervousness. Seraphine patted his back and said, "Calm down. Etory has everything worked out. Do you want to practice some?"

He shook his head, "No, I think we've got it down. But don't forget to throw in a few real punches to make it really look real. I need to bleed for the guards to be convinced."

"I won't punch you too hard." Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming closer at a fast pace. They both stood and waited, when Etory rounded the corner and nearly slammed into Seraphine. She jumped back and hissed, "Well? Are they here?"

Etory nodded and caught his breath. "Yes! They're here for inspections. You guys ready?"

Seraphine and Marcurio looked at each other and then nodded. "Ready." They said simultaneously. Etory turned back around after putting back on his city guard helmet and disappeared down the tunnel. They waited anxiously for what seemed like an eternity to the two. Finally, they heard footsteps of three men coming closer. They could hear Etory telling two other men in armor about a "fight" that was sure to be "entertaining." The guards were laughing with him about how stupid the prisoners were, Etory acting the part to a T. Seraphine suddenly wheeled around and landed a punch on Marcurio's nose, who staggered back and yelled profanities at her. They began to attack each other as the guards came into view. Etory pretended to cheer on the fight while the guards laughed heartily, clearly amused by them. She and Marcurio slowly moved the fight deeper into the tunnels and the guards followed unknowingly. Seraphine gave a short, knowing od to Marcurio, and then she pulled out her shivs.

Marcurio edged back from her so that he was standing a few feet in front of one of the guards. "N-now…let's not do anything we'll regret." he pretended to choke out.

Seraphine slowly drew closer to him with the shivs held ready, and she told him with a snarl, "I think you already regret trying to attack me."

Marcurio fell to his knees and covered his face as Seraphine came charging at him, but then at the last moment she leaped over him and was ontop of the guard behind him. She tore the delicate flesh of his neck with her shiv and there was the sound of a gurgling, choking couch and then he was dead. The other guard wheeled around to run and call for help, but his words were lost like his partners as the vein in his neck was ripped open by Etory's dagger. Both Etory and Seraphine used a strip of cloth to cover the wound and keep them from bleeding out onto the armor any more. As they held the cloths in place, Marcurio stood up and began stripping the guards of their armor and valuables. He and Seraphine dressed quickly, donning the helmets so no one would know their identities.

The three walked through the mine casually and up a ramp to the iron doors. Etory looked at the orc who guarded the mine's gates and nodded. "All clear." he told her. She grunted and opened the door for them. There was still one more door to get through until they were out.

Seraphine listened to the sound of their boots on the hard, cold dirt, trying to focus on the sound rather than becoming nervous and looking suspicious. As they made their way through the mine, they could see the bright light of the exit. Seraphine smiled underneath her helmet and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. _"Finally, I can return to my life. No more of this damn city or its Forsworn."_

The three shielded their eyes as the sun warmed their skin. It was definitely a change from the damp mine and its faux sunlight by torches. Marcurio stretched happily in the warmth of the white sun. They both wished to take off their helmets, but they couldn't for the threat of being discovered, and that was their top priority: to make it out of the city undiscovered. And all was going well until someone suddenly grabbed Seraphine roughly by the arm and then, her helmet was gone. The man spit in her face as he yelled, "Imposters! The prisoners are escaping!"

Seraphine growled and tried to writhe away, but it was no use, he had her held tight and was dragging her back to the mine. "No! Gods damn you!" she screamed and pulled out a dagger, and stabbed it into the man's side. He staggered back and fell off the bridge they were on into water below. She began to run as hard as she could and Marcurio joined her, sword held ready. "Where's Etory?" she called to him.

"I don't know! He was there one moment, but I – Nngh!" He suddenly fell forward as an arrow pierced his shoulder. Seraphine turned back to him and pulled the bow out that was hooked onto her back. She aimed at Marcurio's attacker's head as he aimed his bow at her. She pulled the bow to its full range and aimed just above the man's head, then released. And just as he released his arrow, the sharp steel of her arrow bit into his right eye. Seraphine jumped to the side as the guard's arrow hit the stone beside her. Panting, she turned back to Marcurio and helped him to his feet, and then they continued running. Finally, the gates of Markarth stood before them and they pushed open the heavy doors, none of the guards had even thought to blockade the only exit out of the city. They ran down the steps outside where a horse and cart where waiting for them. Seraphine screamed out the code word to let the driver know it was them and climbed aboard.


End file.
